Beholder 3

Beholder 3 has a few good ideas that fail to shine through the limited and repetitive mechanics. Some conversations, especially some with family members, elicit emotion and create genuine dilemmas. But I never was interested in the tenants, their problems, or my co-workers, and always played Frank as a survivor who can’t and won’t try to make the world a better place. I like how this actually fits well into the totalitarian framework of the game’s world. But much of my detachment is also linked to the mechanics, repetitive and lacking imagination, which eliminated emotion. Beholder 3 delivers a world worth exploring but fails to give the players the means to get engaging moments from it.

A pretty cool dystopian experience filled with blackmail, intimidation, and gross human rights violations. The dark themes make it a bit of a heavy hitter.

On paper Beholder 3 had it all. Taking the best of its predecessors, it promised us richer gameplay, even more dilemmas and the return of this very special atmosphere that had once hit the mark. But in practice, things are more complicated. Wanting too much to draw inspiration from its elders, Beholder 3 is struggling to find its own identity. And even if that were the case, the lack of finish is enough to leave many players on the floor. The concept and the atmosphere are certainly interesting, but unfortunately they are not enough to impose this opus as the Great Leader of the Beholders. Note all the same that if you have never got your hands on a Beholder, you can add a good point on this note.

Taking over the series development reins, Paintbucket Games chose a path of imitation by rehashing elements of the first two games without adding anything new. Diligently copying rules, gameplay mechanics and visual attributes, the developers missed the whole raison d'etre of the game — making tough decisions under pressure, because Beholder 3 is incapable of driving you into a corner.